The Denver Broncos' offense in the past few seasons has been abysmal, and that might be putting it lightly. Denver has not had a high-powered offense since the days of Peyton Manning, and fans have been clamoring for them to simply be average, at the very least.
The Broncos made Oregon quarterback Bo Nix the 12th selection in the draft back in April with the hopes that he can be the future under center. With all the talk about how the offense may look like this season, let’s take a look at some of the best Broncos offensive units of the past 30 seasons.
5 best offenses for the Denver Broncos in the last 30 years
5. 2012
The first season of the Manning era got off to a bit of a rocky start. Starting the season 2-3, the team faced Phillip Rivers and the Chargers in a Monday Night Football matchup that saw them down 24-0 at halftime. A full team effort propelled Denver to arguably the greatest comeback in team history with a 35-24 victory, spearheading an 11-game win streak for the remainder of the season.
The playoffs didn’t go as planned, losing in overtime via Joe Flacco and the Mile High Miracle, perhaps the football gods' revenge for their dramatic overtime win the previous season against the Steelers, but the Manning-led offense was as good as advertised.
The unit wound up 4th league-wide in total yards, third in touchdowns, and second in points-per-game with 30.1, a breath of fresh air for Broncos fans after years of mediocracy. This season marked the first time since 2006, Jay Cutler’s rookie season, that Denver finished above .500.
4. 2014
Coming off the embarrassing loss in the Super Bowl to the Seahawks, Manning and the offense responded with incredible production. They finished tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 58 while coming in second in total points and points-per-game while totaling the fourth most total yards with 6,466.
Year one of the Thunder and Lightning duo of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders did not disappoint. They both recorded career-best marks in yards, with 1,619 and 1,404, respectively, while adding 20 combined touchdowns. This season also marked the breakout for undrafted running back C.J. Anderson, who earned a Pro Bowl nod after running for 849 and 8. Manning also had a tremendous line in front of him, as the offense ranked first by a whopping 50 yards in sack yards against with only 118.
To add some historical context to this season’s greatness, football fans witnessed Manning break the all-time touchdown record, tossing his 509th to DT during the Week 7 Sunday night matchup vs the San Fransisco 49ers.
3. 1997
The 1997 Broncos offense was led by John Elway and his 3,635 yards and 27 touchdowns, while Terrell Davis added 1,750 and 15 on the ground.
Broncos Ring-of-Famer Rod Smith posted his first of six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, while Hall-of-fame tight end Shannon Sharpe also eclipsed the benchmark.
The unit led the NFL in touchdowns with 55, points with 472, and total yards with 5,872, on route to the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. The Lombardi trophy was hoisted after arguably the single-greatest play for the Broncos, Elway’s helicopter spin.
2. 1998
The second of back-to-back Super Bowls for the Broncos came on the back of Davis and his MVP season. With a 38-year-old Elway under center, Davis carried the load with a whopping 2,008 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns and added another 217 and two in the air.
The unit featured a similar cast as the ’97 season with Sharpe and two 1,000-yard receivers in Ed McCaffrey and Smith.
Ending the season at 14-2, the Broncos finished with 6,092 total yards, good for the third-best mark in the league. The offense would put up the second most touchdowns and total points, with 62 and 501, respectively, averaging 31.3 points per game. They also finished second in total first downs and sixth in third down conversion rate.
With such a star-studded cast, Elway and company were nearly impossible to get off the field on-route to a 34-19 victory in the Super Bowl over the Atlanta Falcons. What puts them ahead of the ’97 unit is the greatness of Davis, as his 2,000-yard rushing season makes him one of only eight running backs to ever accomplish the feat.
1. 2013
The obvious answer, the 2013 Broncos offense has a strong case to be the best unit in NFL history. Although the season ended in such disastrous fashion that most Broncos fans wish they could forget about it, the offense, led by Manning, set nearly every offensive record.
Denver set the NFL single-season record for passing yards with 5,572, 55 passing touchdowns, 76 total touchdowns, and 606 points while finishing second all-time in total yards with 7,317. The record for most points per game over a season is held by the 1950 St. Louis Rams, but the Broncos hold the modern-day record at 37.9 PPG.
They also tied the NFL season record for the most times scoring over 50 and 40 points with three and six, respectively. Denver also set the record with 22 touchdown passes within the first six games of the season.
Manning, in his second season after three neck surgeries, kicked off the NFL season tying a record with seven touchdown passes in a game. He would finish with 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns en route to winning the MVP and taking his team to the Super Bowl in East Rutherford. Even with the NFL adding a 17th game to the schedule, The Sheriff’s numbers still stand as the best in a single season.
Wide receivers Eric Decker, Wes Welker, DT, tight end Julius Thomas, and running back Knowshon Moreno all recorded double-digit touchdowns. With five players, they nearly doubled the previous record of three players on a team to have 10 or more touchdowns. Manning, the Thomases, and right guard Luis Vasquez were all Pro Bowl selections.